Brevo vs SendPulse
Both are budget-friendly, multichannel platforms with genuine free plans, so small businesses often compare them directly. The key difference is how they charge. Brevo bills by messages sent, which makes large lists emailed occasionally cheap, and includes transactional sending on every tier. SendPulse prices email by list size, with a pay-as-you-go option, and bundles an unusually wide set of extras, including chatbots across the main messaging apps, web push and a course builder. List size and sending frequency will largely decide which one fits.
 Brevo
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 SendPulse
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| Best for | Large lists mailed occasionally, plus transactional email | Small lists and audiences reached through messaging-app chatbots |
| Category | ||
| Pricing | See vendor pricing | See vendor pricing |
| Pricing basis | By messages sent, not contacts stored | By list size, plus pay-as-you-go email credits |
| Free plan | Capped by daily sends, not contacts | Up to 500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month |
| Channels | Email, SMS and WhatsApp natively | Email, SMS, web push, chatbots on six messaging apps |
| Transactional email | Relay and API on every tier, including free | API and SMTP options |
| Deliverability | Mixed reports; shared sending addresses on lower tiers | Recurring complaints of spam placement and limits |
| At larger scale | Cheap for large, infrequently mailed lists | Performance and deliverability problems reported as lists grow |
| Editor and templates | Slow with image-heavy designs; limited styling | Thin template library; restrictive editor |
| Links | Full review · Website | Full review · Website |
Verdict
Choose Brevo if you have a large contact database that you email on a predictable schedule, or if you need reliable transactional email alongside marketing. Because it charges by messages sent, a big list mailed occasionally costs very little, and the relay and API are available even on the free plan. The tradeoffs: high-frequency senders with modest lists may pay more than on a contact-priced platform, lower tiers use shared sending addresses so placement partly depends on other senders, and live chat and phone support reportedly sit on higher plans.
Choose SendPulse if you are a small business on a tight budget and your audience lives on messaging apps as much as in inboxes. Chatbots across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, Telegram and Viber are its genuine differentiator, and the free plan is generous. The tradeoffs are more serious for email itself: reviewers report inconsistent inbox placement, manual moderation that can delay sends, and slowdowns as lists grow. Automation and reporting are also basic.
Our reviews do not support a single winner. Model your cost by multiplying list size by monthly send frequency, test deliverability from your own authenticated domain on both, and weigh whether you need chatbots or transactional email more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper for a large list?
Usually Brevo, if you email that list infrequently, because it charges by messages sent rather than contacts stored. SendPulse prices by list size, and reviewers report performance problems as lists grow.
Which has the better free plan?
They limit different things. SendPulse's free email plan covers up to 500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month, while Brevo's free plan caps daily sends rather than contacts and includes transactional sending.
Can I send transactional emails with either?
Yes. Brevo includes a mail relay and API on every tier, including free, and SendPulse offers both API and SMTP options for system-generated messages.